Chapters Twilight was happy. There weren't any problems for here to solve, no evil monsters trying to destroy Equestria and her friends were off enjoying the day by themselves. Yes, Twilight could rest easy knowing nothing could go wrong today.
"Twilight, Twilight! Get over here quick, you are not going to believe this!" Spike yelled from another room. Twilight rushed over to her assistant.
"What is it, Spike?" Twilight asked.
"I just got a letter from Princess Celestia, apparently it's Cadence and Shining Armour's 5th anniversary, can you believe it!?" Twilight was just as surprised as Spike at the news. Had it really been that long already?
"Are we going, Twilight?" Twilight looked at Spike.
"Of course we're going! It's my brother's anniversary, let's just hope no Changelings attack us this time." Spike seemed to agree.
"I'll go and tell the girls, then. I think I might bring Starlight as well." Twilight then left the castle to go and tell her friends about the letter. Just then, Spike felt as if he was about to receive another message, what could they want now? Spike received another message and read it to himself.
"I hope nothing's gone wrong." Spike read through the letter. "Oh no!"
Twilight made her way to Sugarcube Corner to tell Pinkie Pie the good news.
"Hey, Pinkie! Where are you?" Twilight yelled. Suddenly, Pinkie appeared behind Twilight and gave her quite a fright.
"Hey, Twilight!" Pinkie yelled back behind her. Twilight seemed terrified.
"Pinkie, don't do that! Come here, I have something to tell you." Twilight took Pinkie to the back of the shop.
"What is it, Twilight?" Pinkie asked.
"It's my brother's 5th anniversary and we've been invited to the Crystal Empire to celebrate!" Pinkie didn't seem the least bit surprised. "Why aren't you excited?"
"Well, duh! It has been 5 years since we defeated the Changelings at Canterlot and they were married! Did you really not know this?" Twilight felt a little dumb for not noticing.
"Wait, so does everyone know? Rainbow, Fluttershy, Applejack and Rarity?" Pinkie Pie nodded in approval. "Well, I guess we should head off to the Crystal Empire, then."
"Wait a minute, Twilight. What about Starlight? Isn't she going?" Twilight had almost completely forgotten about Starlight. She really needed to focus today.
"I'll go and get her, you just focus on getting everyone else ready to leave. I'll be back shortly!" Twilight ran off to go and find Starlight.
"WILL DO, TWILIGHT!" Pinkie yelled even though Twilight was long gone.
Twilight found Starlight sat at the train station. Was she waiting for something?
"Starlight? Did you know about this as well!?" Twilight asked as she was walking towards her.
"Oh hey, Twilight. Know what? I was just taking a break, I'm not going anywhere." Twilight seemed relieved.
"Oh, that's good. So, Princess Cadence and my brother have their anniversary tomorrow and I was wondering if you wanted to join us, the others will be there too!" Starlight seemed pleased with the notion of getting to know her brother a little bit better.
"That sounds great, Twilight. When are we leaving?" Starlight asked.
"Right now, or as soon as Pinkie gets everyone over here. You wait here and I'll get everyone, including Spike." Starlight just sat back down as Twilight rushed off to get everyone.
Twilight made her way to Carousel Boutique when she noticed everyone heading down to the train station.
"Hey, wait up!" Twilight called out.
"Oh hey, Twilight!" Everyone said in unison.
"Are you heading to the train station, I need to go and get Spike, he should be with us to go the Crystal Empire."
"Where's Starlight?" asked Rainbow. Twilight pointed at the Train Station.
"She's waiting over there at the station. She seems to be fine, but something seems wrong." Twilight seemed concerned.
"Do you want us to go and wait with her?" Rarity offered.
"No, it's fine. I think she just needs time to rest, that's all. Come and get Spike with me, we'll be gone soon enough." Twilight didn't see any reason to pressure Starlight and thought it would be best to let her have a break.
"Alright then, let's go!" Rainbow dashed off towards the castle as fast as a bullet. The other five ponies just casually walked to the castle, the train wouldn't be arriving for another 30 minutes.
Once Twilight and her friends got into the castle, they noticed that Rainbow Dash and Spike both had very worried looks on them.
"What's wrong, Rainbow?" Twilight asked.
"Twilight, you need to see this. It's pretty crazy." Rainbow said, worryingly.
Spike walked up to Twilight. "Just after you left, I got another message. The only thing is, I don't think this one was from Princess Celestia, the handwriting is different."
Twilight seemed confused. Applejack spoke up. "Wait, isn't Celestia supposed to be the only one who can send messages through Spike?"
"I thought so too!? Spike, can I see the letter, please?" Twilight asked.
"Sure thing, Twilight." Spike seemed a little hesitant on showing Twilight. Why?
The letter read:
Hello, Twilight.
You're probably wondering who could possibly have sent this message since the Princess seems to be the only one who can do so. Don't think like that. I know you think you're safe inside your castle about to go to your brother's anniversary, but you're not safe. You'll never be safe again. I wouldn't even think about getting on that train today, who knows what might happen to your friend, Starlight Glimmer, if you do. Here's a tip, Princess. Being the Princess of Friendship does not give you the right to be happy. You were never supposed to be happy. I am going to make sure that you lose everything you ever loved.
"Wait, it doesn't say who wrote this. Who the hell wrote this, what are they talking about!?" Twilight seemed furious.
"So, what do we do? The letter said that if we leave for the crystal empire, something bad will happen to starlight!" Rainbow seemed just as confused and furious as Twilight.
"Rainbow, go and get Starlight, make sure she's okay. This is bad. They said being the Princess of Friendship doesn't give me the right to be happy, what did they mean by that?" Twilight asked.
Fluttershy seemed terrified. "This is really bad, isn't it?"
"Look, I think the bigger question is, Who in the hay sent that message if it wasn't Celestia!?" Applejack stated.
"That's true, I mean, they clearly have some kind of feud with Twilight? Do you know who it could be, Twilight?" Rarity asked.
"I don't have a clue, girls. They clearly have a problem with me, but I can't think of anyone who would threaten me like this. I just hope Rainbow comes back with Starlight soon." Twilight was concerned now, for her and her friends.
"I'm gonna go and get her, it shouldn't be taking this long." Applejack left to find Rainbow while the others stayed safe inside the castle.
Once Rainbow had left the castle, she immediately dashed off to get Starlight back. However, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed something quite familiar standing in the entrance to the Everfree Forest before it ran into the Forest.
"Mare Do Well?" Rainbow recognised the costume that had fooled her once before. She knew she had to get Starlight, but something felt really weird about that pony. Rainbow ran into the Everfree Forest after the Mare Do Well pony. It might be a long shot, but maybe this was the pony who sent the message to Twilight.
Rainbow hadn't got far before she heard some kind of strange noise. "Hello!? Who is this? Where are you?" Suddenly, even before Rainbow had the chance to react, The Mysterious Mare Do Well attacked her with some kind of blunt instrument that Rainbow was unable to identify before she was knocked unconscious. Rainbow's body was dragged deep into the Everfree Forest, far away from Ponyville.
When Rainbow woke up, she saw that she was tied up, hanging upside down from a tree. "Hey, what in the name of Celestia do you think you're doing!? Why are you doing this!?" She saw the Mare Do Well walking up to her, before pointing to her left. It was Starlight!
"Whoa, Starlight! What happened!?" Rainbow yelled.
"I don't know, Rainbow. One moment I was sitting on the bench at the station and the next, I was here, tied up with this thing. WHO ARE YOU!?" the Mare Do Well did not answer.
"HEY, are you the one who sent that message to Twilight!?" the Mare Do Well nodded slowly at the question.
"What message?" Starlight asked.
"Twilight received a letter from someone threatening her...and you!" Rainbow told her.
"Well, they've done that. Why won't it tell us it's name?" Starlight asked.
"It doesn't want us to know who it is." Rainbow said. the Mare Do Well nodded once again.
"Do you think it's going to kill us?" Starlight asked. She was really scared at this point...the Mare Do Well nodded.
"Wait, WHAT!? No, no, no! You can't!" Rainbow pleaded. the Mare Do Well pointed at Rainbow, then Starlight, then Rainbow again.
"No wait, please! Don't do this! I don't know what you want with Twilight but PLEASE don't kill us!" Starlight also pleaded. Both ponies were shaking, looking for any way to escape, but there was no way to get out of this. the Mare Do Well continued to point at Rainbow, then Starlight, and then Rainbow again, alternating between the two, before it finally stopped at one of the ponies...Rainbow Dash.
"Wait, NO! Please, don't! Think about this! If I wasn't tied up right now, I'd be kicking your butt right now." the Mare Do Well proceeded to take a knife from out of it's cape before slowly walking closer to Rainbow Dash.
"NO, NO, PLEASE! I'M BEGGING YOU!!" To Rainbow's surprise, the Mare Do Well came closer to Rainbow Dash and whispered something in her ear.
"Wait a minute, you're--" Before Rainbow could finish her sentence, the Mare Do Well proceeded to thrust the knife into Rainbow Dash's stomach multiple times, continuing to slice down her body until her entrails and everything inside Rainbow Dash spilled out onto the Everfree Forest. the Mare Do Well finished Rainbow by decapitating her head and holding it up to show Starlight before throwing it away into a pit.
"NO, RAINBOW!! WHAT IN THE NAME OF CELESTIA DID YOU DO!?" Starlight was crying and was distraught over what she had just witnessed. "Why did it have to choose Rainbow?" Starlight said before the Mare Do Well came up to her and struck her over the head, rendering her unconscious before fleeing deeper into the forest.
The doors to Twilight's castle flew open as Applejack returned after searching for Rainbow Dash for about an hour at this point.
"Twilight, we're gonna have a problem here!" Applejack came in scared. She didn't have Rainbow with her, but an unconscious Starlight instead.
"What happened here!? Where's Rainbow?" Twilight said. She knew what had happened. After receiving a threatening letter, it wasn't that hard to connect the dots.
Applejack looks terrified. "I searched everywhere for her, eventually I went into the Everfree Forest and found Starlight unconscious hanging from a tree. The worst part is, Rainbow was next to her...dead! Her body was cut open from head to hoof!" Twilight didn't know what to think.
"Oh no, no, no! This must be whoever sent me that letter! But wait, I thought they threatened Starlight, not Rainbow?" Twilight wondered.
"Yeah! So why would they kill Rainbow and leave Starlight alive? It doesn't make any sense!?" Pinkie added.
"That's true! And it looks like whoever did it left no trace of themselves!" Applejack said.
"I honestly didn't think it would get to this point, girls. I'm scared what this pony might do to you next! You should go, at least until this is over." Twilight thought this would be the best course of action.
"Are you kidding!? We're your friends, Twilight! Just because some killer is trying to tear us apart, we won't let them!" Pinkie reassured Twilight.
"She's not wrong, Sugarcube. We're right here for ya, always." Applejack said.
"I agree this is scary, and there are many things I would rather be doing than this, but we are your friends, Twilight. We can't just leave you with a killer!" Fluttershy said. Twilight was surprised even she was willing to stay to help her.
"I agree, we are not leaving you, Twilight. Not even if there is a killer on the loose!" Rarity said, dramatically as usual.
"Thanks, girls. Now what do we do? We need to think of something before it comes back...if it comes back." Twilight was still upset about Rainbow, and as much as she wanted to show it, she couldn't while the killer was still on the loose. She could tell her friends were the same.
"You know, it would be a good idea to let Celestia know what's going on. She'll know exactly what to do." Fluttershy said.
"Good idea, Fluttershy! Plus, it'll explain to her why I couldn't make it to Cadence and Shining Armour's anniversary." Although, Twilight couldn't help but feel that if she had alerted Celestia sooner, Rainbow Dash might still be alive. However, before Twilight was able to send a letter to Celestia, Starlight woke up.
"Where am I? Twilight!? Where's Mare Do Well!?" Starlight woke up with a shock. She seemed terrified.
"Mare Do Well? What are you talking about? It's me, Twilight." Twilight tried to calm Starlight down. "Come on, let's get you inside, the letter can wait."
"I'm so sorry, Twilight. I thought I was still in the Everfree Forest." Starlight said.
"It's okay. Do you mind explaining what happened?" Twilight was utterly confused about what happened in the Forest.
"Yeah, sure. So I was sat at the station as you know, and was coming back to the castle. Then I saw some pony in a weird costume?"
"The Mare Do Well costume?" Twilight asked.
"That's what Rainbow called it. Anyway, I made a stupid mistake and went after it thinking it was just some prankster. But it knocked me over the head, and tied me up, and it did the same to Rainbow dash soon after. Then the Mare Do Well killed Rainbow right in front of me, it was just so awful." Starlight began to cry, remembering what she had seen.
"Did you manage to see who it was exactly?" Applejack asked.
"No, the costume covered them up completely. Although, before it killed Rainbow, I think they whispered their name in her ear. Whoever it was though, I think Rainbow Dash recognised them." Twilight saw this as a clue.
"So whoever it is, Rainbow Dash knew them in some way." Twilight realised that Starlight was having trouble breathing over the thought of what she saw happen to Rainbow Dash.
"Twilight, do you mind if I just go outside for a few moments. I really need to get some air." Starlight asked.
"No problem. Take as long as you need, I need to alert Celestia about what's going on. This is a lot to take in." Twilight got up and walked over to Spike.
"Twilight, if you don't mind, I'm gonna go out with her. She seems mighty distressed! She looks like she needs a little help." Applejack began to run after Starlight.
"No problem. Just make sure she's okay!" Twilight shouted. "I really don't know what to think."
"I understand. We'll figure this out, though! They won't be able to hide forever!" Rarity said.
"Spike, you know what to do, send a letter to Princess Celestia. Tell her that there is a killer on the loose, that Rainbow Dash is dead and that we need serious help." Spike began writing immediately.
"Right away, Twilight!" Spike said. Just then, as Spike was finishing off his letter to Celestia, he felt something. "Uh-oh!"
"What is it, Spike?" Twilight was worried.
"Somepony is sending me something. Not another one of those letters!" Spike had received another letter, written in the same ink as the last letter from the killer.
"This can't be good." Twilight began to read the letter out loud.
Hello, Twilight.
Did you enjoy my masterpiece? Your friend screamed like a really good sport! It's only a matter of time before I get to the rest of your friends! If you really thought that it was over after just one death, you were dead wrong. This game, MY GAME, has only just begun, Twilight! And we are playing by MY rules. So here's how this goes. If you even think about contacting Celestia in any way about this, then I will make sure that your friends continue to drop like flies. If you don't, It'll be less painful when the time comes. I decide how this goes, Twilight. Until I'm done with you, I'm going to make sure that you suffer! For now, you might want to get down to Sugarcube Corner. Your precious Cutie Mark Crusaders are trying to help me get my cutie mark in murder! Tick tock, Twilight. Tick tock.
"Wait, WHAT!? They can't be serious!?" Twilight said, scared.
"This is very bad, darling! That thing has my Sweetie Belle!" Rarity said, terrified what might happen to Sweetie Belle. Just then, Starlight and Applejack ran into the room.
"What in the hay is going on, we heard you screaming! Did something happen?" Twilight showed Applejack the letter.
"WHAT!? That monster has my precious Apple Bloom! We are going down there right now to stop them!" Applejack rushed out of the castle.
"Was it the killer again? Do they really have the Cutie Mark Crusaders?" Starlight asked.
"Yes. Although, Applejack shouldn't have rushed off like that, we'll have to go too. Are you okay, though?" Twilight asked.
"Yeah, I'm feeling much better now. Applejack went to go and check something back on the farm, though, but that doesn't bother me. Did you manage to send a letter to Princess Celestia?" Starlight said.
"No, but we don't have time for talking. Come on, we need to get to Sugarcube Corner right now!" Twilight, Starlight, Pinkie and Rarity as well as Spike all ran off towards Sugarcube Corner.
When they arrived at Sugarcube Corner, everyone was horrified at what they saw.
"Oh my goodness, what have they done!?" Sugarcube Corner was on fire, and they could hear the chilling screams of Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.
"Help! Help!! HELP!!" Everypony was shocked, but Applejack and Rarity most of all.
"APPLE BLOOM!" Applejack yelled.
"SWEETIE BELLE!" Yelled Rarity.
"I'M COMING, APPLE BLOOM!" Applejack ran towards the entrance to Sugarcube Corner, ready to risk her life to save her sister.
"No, Applejack!!" Twilight realised this was a mistake. Once Applejack had reached the doorway, the Mare Do Well appeared right in front of her and attacked her, stabbing her once before bucking her back to where Twilight and the others were. Twilight ran to her.
"Applejack, are you okay!?" Twilight said, worried that she may lose another friend.
"I'll be fine, Sugarcube. Just find another way to get them back!" Applejack didn't have any energy to move after being stabbed. The Mare Do Well was still standing in the doorway of Sugarcube Corner.
"What are you waiting for!? COME ON!" Twilight yelled, face to face with the Mare Do Well. The Mare Do Well just ran back through the shop, attempting to escape.
"Oh, no you don't! You won't get away with what you've done!" Twilight created a bubble to protect her from the flames. She ran into Sugarcube Corner searching for the Mare Do Well. "Where are you!" She asked, before noticing Mr and Mrs Cake cowering in fear with their children, Pumpkin and Pound Cake. "You need to get out of here! Now!" She yelled to them over the sound of the flames.
"We can't! The flames are too strong!" Mr Cake said. Twilight realised that she could only save one, The Cakes or The Cutie Mark Crusaders. She didn't want to have to do this.
"I'm so sorry." Twilight said before she ran up the stairs hoping to find the Mare Do Well or the Crusaders. Instead, she found something much worse. "A tape recorder!? Oh no!" It was a recording of the Crusader calling for help. Wherever they were, they weren't here. Twilight turned around to find the Mare Do Well with a knife holding up Mr and Mrs Cake. "NO! Don't hurt them! Please."
The Mare Do Well shook it's head before slicing the throat of Mr Cake and then Mrs Cake. The Mare Do Well then threw the bodies at Twilight and held the knife up at her, taunting her.
"What do you want with me!?" Twilight yelled before the Mare Do well ran downstairs to escape. "You will not get away with this!" Twilight ran after the Mare Do Well, but by time she had gotten downstairs, it had dissapeared. "WHERE ARE YOU!!" Twilight yelled. Twilight walked out of the burning building as it slowly broke down behind her.
"Twilight, what happened!? Where is Sweetie Belle?" Rarity asked.
"Twilight, where's Apple Bloom? Don't tell me..." Applejack, even injured, began to cry.
"They weren't in there. It was just a recording. Wherever the Crusaders are, the killer still has them, he has to! The cakes are dead, though. As well as the children." Twilight felt awful that she couldn't have prevented this from happening.
"Wait, the Cakes are dead? And the Baby Cakes!?" Pinkie began to cry...a lot. She had spent a lot of time with the Cakes.
"I'm so sorry, Pinkie! I tried to save them, believe me, I did!" Twilight said.
"I know, Twilight. Thank you! We have to do something about this MONSTER!" Pinkie said, furious.
"Yeah, well it still has my Apple Bloom, so we need to get her back!" Applejack said.
"And it has my Sweetie Belle, so we need to stop that thing!" Rarity said.
"And it has Scootaloo, so we need to think of what to do, because to be honest...I'm terrified, girls." Twilight admitted, however, it seemed like everyone else was as well.
"Oh no, Twilight!" Spike said. He was receiving another message.
"What does it want now!?" Twilight picked up the letter and read it out loud once again, even though she really didn't want to.
Hello, Twilight
You are one smart pony. But you already knew that, didn't you? I still have your little fillies. They're asleep right now, but they won't be waking up soon enough! This was just the start of our little game, Twilight. Remember the rules, Don't tell Celestia or else! I can't wait to see which of your friends I get to mutilate next! This'll be fun, Twilight. But hurry up, or your fillies will be feeling the sharp stab of my blade!
"This is bad, so bad!" Twilight said, worryingly. "I wouldn't even know where to look for them!"
"It's okay, Twi. We'll search all of Equestria if we have to." Applejack said, able to stand now.
"The Mare Do Well may have won this battle but we will find her and take her down!" Rarity said. Twilight felt a little better but still, the Mare Do Well HAD won and as far as she could tell, it was not going to be over any time soon.
"Whoever this Mare Do Well is, they are destroying us! First they kill Rainbow, then they butcher Mr and Mrs Cake right in front of me and now they have Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo!!" Twilight trotted frantically around the castle hoping to come up with an idea on how to stop the Mare Do Well.
"I just can't believe they're actually g-gone! The B-Baby Cakes as well!" Pinkie cried, still upset after what happened to who was practically her family.
Applejack began to comfort Pinkie. "I know, Pinkie. It must be hard to deal with this, especially so soon after dealing with Rainbow, but right now we really have to focus on our main concern, getting our three fillies back!"
"Agreed. I just don't know how we're going to do that! The Mare Do Well could have taken them anywhere at this point and we don't have the time to be searching the whole of Equestria for them, they'll be killed before we get the chance!" Twilight wasn't sure what to do, and the fact that the CMC could be anywhere didn't help.
"It wouldn't be too much of a leap to assume that they're still inside Ponyville. It makes sense that the Mare Do Well would still be here." Starlight said.
"You know, you might be right, Starlight! Although, it might not be such a good idea to split up in case the Mare Do Well comes back. I'll take Starlight and go and check the Everfree Forest. Pinkie and Rarity, you go and check the east side of Ponyville. Applejack and Fluttershy, you head off to the North and see what you can find. Spike, you stay here and keep this place secure!" Twilight ordered.
"Aye-aye, Captain!" Spike said. Over in the corner, Pinkie was still crying uncontrollably.
"Noooo, why did they h-have to g-g-go! It's too much!!" Pinkie cried. It seemed to be too much for her.
"Alright, come on then darling. Even Fluttershy isn't as upset as you, which kind of surprises me. Anyway, let's go." Rarity said, trying to cheer Pinkie up.
"O-okay." Pinkie agreed, having finally stopped crying.
"Alright then, if we don't find anything within one hour, we'll come back here and think of something!" Twilight said before everyone rushed out to search for the three fillies.
Twilight and Starlight fought their way through the Everfree Forest, searching for any sort of clue that would help them find the CMC.
"No, it's alright. It was really hard to watch, though. I feel like the only reason I'm still dealing with it is because I know that we need to stop this Mare Do Well. Hey Twilight, what even is the Mare Do Well in the first place?" Starlight asked.
"Well, it was before you came here, but basically Rainbow started to view herself as better than others because she had saved a bunch of ponies, so we dressed as that thing to show her up. The only thing is, that was a team effort. I don't know how this Mare Do Well is doing all of this." Twilight explained.
"I see. Twilight, what if we're too late? What if the Cutie Mark Crusaders are already dead?" Starlight said, looking worried.
"Don't think like that, Starlight! We'll find them, and get rid of that Mare Do Well!" Twilight said. They had already passed Zecora's house and went deeper into the Forest since that's where Rainbow was killed.
"So Twilight, who do you think it is? Doing the killing, I mean." Starlight asked.
"I wish I knew. All I can tell is that from what you told me, it must be someone Rainbow knew when it told her it's name, but that could be anypony!" Twilight said, still puzzled at who could be committing these crimes. "I don't think we're going to find anything! Where could that Mare Do Well have taken them!? We really need to find them soon or who knows what's going to happen to them!?" Twilight and Starlight began to head back to the castle.
"There is still one thing that I don't get, though. Why did the killer let me go? I mean, I was right there and for all they knew, I could have told anypony!" Starlight said.
"Yeah, that is weird. It's almost as if the killer needed you for something. I mean, it's stupid, but the only logical explanation I can think of is....w-w-wait...no." Twilight said, with a shocked look.
"What is it, Twilight? What's wrong?" Starlight asked. Twilight began to back away.
"It's you...i-it has to be. You weren't killed and your magic explains how there can be two of you. Plus, after everything you did in the past, it explains why you'd want revenge!? Oh no...it's you!" Twilight ran straight back to the castle while Starlight followed.
"WAIT, TWILIGHT! PLEASE!" Starlight yelled as she tried to catch up with Twilight.
Twilight burst back into the castle. "Spike, we need to go right now! It's Starlight! She's the killer!" She yelled.
"Twilight, wait. Slow down, Starlight is the killer!? Are you serious?" Spike said, not sure what to think.
"YES!" Twilight said quickly. She was about to lock the doors to the castle before Starlight came bursting in.
"Twilight, please wait! I promise you I'm not the killer, why would you think that!?" Twilight began to back away.
"Because you're still alive, why didn't it kill you, then!?" Twilight was backed into a wall.
"I promise, I don't know Twilight. I know you're scared, and that it's easy to accuse anyone right now, but the Crusaders are still out there." Twilight didn't know what to think.
"But Rainbow's dead and the Crusaders are probably going to be killed if we don't find them soon. If you were the killer, it would make sense! You were acting weird the day Rainbow died, and you weren't killed!" Twilight said.
"Twilight, please! I was acting weird the other day because I was going to the Crystal Empire. Shining Armour sent me a message and called me over there for some reason, but before I could get on the train, I was taken into the forest, and just because I wasn't killed does not mean I am a killer! Please Twilight, just trust me. We need to find the Crusaders, NOW!" Twilight looked at Starlight.
"Fine...I trust you. Let's go." Twilight said. However, before they were able to leave, Spike began to feel another message.
"Um, guys!" Spike said. Twilight turned around.
"What? Another letter?" Twilight wondered. Twilight instantly grabbed the letter.
Hello again, Twilight.
It looks like you and your friends are still searching for your little fillies. Time is running out, Twilight. Or is my little game getting the better of you? It doesn't matter. Either way I win! As a token of my good will, however, let me just say you might want to head back to the forest. I'm waiting, Twilight.
"We need to head back to the forest. Starlight, go and get the others and meet me in the forest, we are ending this today!" Twilight said.
"Right." Starlight began to head out.
"Oh, and Starlight. I'm sorry I doubted you." Starlight smiled as she left.
Everypony was gathered in the Everfree Forest having just passed Zecora's house. It wasn't long before they were about to come face-to-face with the killer.
"Wait, so you thought that Starlight was the killer? That's crazy!" Applejack said.
"I know, but they have to be up ahead. If we're all together, then it's as good as over!" Twilight said.
"YEAH!" Shouted everypony.
"Are you sure Spike will be okay on his own in the castle?" Rarity said, worried.
"If the killer wants me to play his little game, then so be it. He'll be here." Twilight said. She knew that she was walking into a trap, but it was the only way to save the Crusaders.
As the ponies walked on through the forest, they began to hear the shouts of ponies, no...fillies!
"Sweetie Belle!?" Rarity yelled, dashing off toward the sound.
"Apple Bloom!"Applejack yelled, also leaving.
"Wait, it's not safe!"Twilight yelled, also dashing off with Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie.
When Twilight arrived at the source of the noise, she saw Rarity and Applejack on their knees. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were being held by the Mare Do Well as it held a knife up to each pony.
"You can't do this, you monster!!" Rarity shouted.
"I'll kill ya! I'll make sure you never harm nopony ever again!" Applejack shouted, scared to move.
"What do I do?" Twilight said. She seemed helpless knowing the the Mare Do Well could kill them at any moment. "Just tell me what you want!?"
Just then, unexpectedly, the Mare Do Well spoke to here. It's voice was distorted, so it sounded like no pony Twilight had ever heard. "CHOOSE, TWILIGHT. YOU MUST ENJOY MAKING DECISIONS AS THE PRINCESS OF FRIENDSHIP, SO CHOOSE WHICH LITTLE FILLY GETS TO LIVE."
Twilight didn't know what to say. "What? I can't do that! Who are you?"
"THAT IS FOR ME TO KNOW AND FOR YOU TO LEARN SOON ENOUGH, TWILIGHT. NOW...CHOOSE, OR I WILL CHOOSE FOR YOU!" The Mare Do Well took a step closer to the fillies.
"Twilight, you can't do this! P-please!!" Applejack cried.
"It doesn't matter what I do, it's going to kill them either way...aren't you!" Twilight was about to cry, knowing full well there wasn't anything she could do.
"BINGO!" The Mare Do Well yelled. It went over and picked up Apple Bloom. "TELL YOU WHAT, IT'S YOUR LUCKY DAY!" The Mare Do Well threw Apple Bloom to Applejack, letting her live.
"Apple Bloom, RUN!" Applejack yelled. Apple Bloom ran back to Sweet Apple Acres as fast as she could.
"Sh-sh-she left us?" Scootaloo cried.
"Don't do this! You want me, take me." Twilight said, stepping forward for the Mare Do Well.
"I APPRECIATE THE OFFER, BUT IT IS NOT YOUR TIME, TWILIGHT SPARKLE!" The Mare Do Well took his two knives and with a flick of it's horn, sent them flying into Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo's hearts, leaving them to bleed in the forest.
"NOOO! YOU MONSTER!" Rarity began to attack the Mare Do Well, but it had already took off. It was gone. Rarity started to cry furiously as her sister along with her friend lie dead in front of her. "I WILL KILL THAT PONY!"
"I-I'm so sorry, Rarity." Twilight said, crying. There was no point holding it in any longer. "We need to end this." Twilight said, knowing that this game couldn't go on any longer. Princess Celestia had to know.
It had been a whole two days since Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were struck down by the Mare Do Well and Rarity had locked herself in her boutique all this time hoping it might ease the pain. Unfortunately, her friends needed all the help they could get against Mare Do Well.
"Rarity, please! We need your help if we are going to stop this from happening to any other ponies!" Twilight shouted, hoping that something could be done to get her out.
Rarity yelled from inside the boutique. "NO! My sister is dead as well as her friend and I have no idea what to tell our parents. I'm not leaving, there's nothing we can do about that monster anyway."
"Applejack, can you try talking to her?" Twilight asked.
"I'm not sure if that's a good idea, my sister was left alive and her's is dead, she can't be too happy about that." Applejack said. She was right, the Mare Do Well had left Apple Bloom alive as some sort of gift.
"Can anypony help?" Twilight begged.
Starlight walked up to the boutique. "Look Rarity, I know it's hard. We lost Rainbow, then the Cakes and now your sister. I can't imagine what you are going through, but if we can end this now, you will have done right by Sweetie Belle."
"Please Rarity, just do this. Not only for us but for any other pony who might also be in danger." Spike said, also walking up to the boutique.
The door to Carousel Boutique opened and Rarity walked out. "Fine. I'll help. You need to understand though, I'm doing this for Sweetie Belle now." Rarity said.
"We understand. Now, we need to find the Mare Do Well, we haven't heard from him since the murder." Twilight said. Everyone left for the castle to prepare for the inevitable.
When everyone had arrived back at the castle, there was only one thing on Twilight's mind... one thing she had to do.
"We need to contact Princess Celestia. It's the only way." Twilight said. Everyone agreed that it was the only option at this point.
"Are you sure, Twilight? What if this is what the Mare Do Well wants? Who's to say it won't kill somepony else if you do contact the princess." Applejack stated.
"I know. I've thought about that and as bad as it sounds, we might have to take that risk. Spike...take a letter." Twilight said. Spike began to take down Twilight's words.
"Dear Princess Celestia, you probably don't know what's going on in Ponyville right now, and it's not good at all. There's a killer and he has murdered Rainbow Dash as well as the Cakes and Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo." Once Twilight had mentioned Sweetie Belle, Rarity began to burst into tears. "the killer sent a message telling us not to contact you but we have no other choice right now. Please, you need to get here, but be careful. Whoever it is, they are dangerous." Twilight thought for a moment about whether sending the message was a good idea, but what other choice do they have? "Spike, send it...now!" Spike sent the letter. All they had to do now was wait and hope that Celestia could help.
"Okay, let's just go over this one more time. We know that whoever this is, they have to be a Unicorn. That much is obvious." Twilight said, hoping for some answers.
"Twilight, have you thought about the idea that it could be an Alicorn? It's not completely impossible." Rarity said.
"I don't think so. It's a possibility but there's no motivation for Celestia, Luna or Cadence to do anything like this." Twilight said.
"Oooh, maybe they're a ghost! Or a zombie!" Pinkie shouted.
"I really doubt it Pinkie." Twilight said.
"You know, I like Rarity's idea. It's not a stretch to assume that an Alicorn could be behind this." Applejack said.
"Well, it can't be Celestia or me, obviously. It can't be Cadence since it was her's and Shining Armour's anniversary so...Luna? But that doesn't make any sense!" Twilight yelled. Could it really be Luna?
Before Twilight could get another word in, however, Spike began to receive another message. Twilight was just hoping that this was a reply from Celestia. It would make sense that she would want to take immediate action. "Who's it from, Spike?" Twilight asked.
"Uh-oh! You're not going to like this, Twilight!" Spike shouted. Twilight grabbed the letter and began to read aloud.
Hello Twilight,
I warned you that if you contacted the princess that somepony would get hurt, and that somepony just so happens to be here in the Crystal Empire! This is it, Twilight, the moment you've been waiting for! It's our final showdown! I'm looking forward to ending your reign, Miss Sparkle, I just hope you'll be willing to pay the price! I'm going to make sure I hit where it hurts this time.
"This is really not good! You were right, Applejack! It probably has Cadence or worse, my brother!" Twilight said, shocked and scared.
"Oh, this is bad, very bad! I will not sit around and let you lose a loved one and have to deal with the pain of it! We are leaving for the Crystal Empire right this instant!" Rarity yelled before making her way to the station.
"...she's right, everyone. I said this would end today, and it will. Now...who's with me?" Twilight said.
"YEAH!" Everyone yelled as they left for the station. However, Twilight stayed behind to talk to Spike before they left.
"Spike, stay here. You'll be okay on your own, I know it. Just be on guard, okay." Twilight said to Spike.
"Sure thing, Twilight. I'll keep the castle safe!" Spike said and left to do what it was Spike did when Twilight wasn't here.
Twilight and her remaining friends left for the station and boarded the last train of the day leaving for The Crystal Empire. Twilight knew it was dangerous, but they had no other choice.
After a long, intense journey to the Crystal Empire, they had arrived. Twilight wasted no time getting to the castle.
"We need to go right now!" She yelled, dashing off as everypony followed. As they began to approach the castle, everything seemed normal...too normal.
"Is it just me or is it too calm here?" Starlight wondered.
"Let's just get into the castle and find out for ourselves!" Twilight said. She was determined to end this now more than ever. When they had entered the castle, Twilight and her friends began to call for Cadence and Shining Armour.
"Shining Armour! SHINING ARMOUR! Where are you!?" Twilight yelled.
"Princess Cadence!? Where are you?" Rarity and the others were also yelling. As they walked through the castle, they noticed scraps of clothing on the ground.
"This was from the Mare Do Well! I just know it. It must have been injured in some kind of struggle." Twilight and her friends continued on. As they reached the main hall, they could her the cries of a familiar voice...Princess Cadence!
Everypony ran into the main hall and their eyes immediately turned to Princess Cadence, who was tied up in the middle of the hall. "Twilight! You're here! You have to go, right now! Whatever it wants, you can't be here to find out what that is, please!" Cadence yelled, however, Twilight wasn't listening. Twilight immediately began to untie Cadence.
"I can't leave you, Cadence! Not after everything that's happened, I'll explain later! Where's Shining Armour!?" Twilight asked, frantically.
"I-I don't know." Cadence said, looking around. Suddenly, the doors to the room burst open with a crash. It was the Mare Do Well. Twilight wasn't able to untie Cadence in time.
"WELL, WELL. WHAT DO WE HAVE HERE? TWO DEAR PRINCESSES AND THEIR FRIENDS, I WONDER HOW THEY SCREAM!" The Mare Do Well said, pacing around.
"You don't have to do this, just let Cadence and my brother go!" Twilight pleaded.
"I MADE A PROMISE TO YOU TWILIGHT, THAT I WOULD MAKE SURE YOU FELT PAIN, THAT YOU WOULD LOSE EVERYTHING YOU HOLD DEAR! WELL, TODAY IS THAT DAY!" Twilight looked around.
"Where's Shining Armour? What have you done with him!?" Twilight yelled.
"DON'T WORRY YOUR PRETTY LITTLE HEAD, HE'S AS SAFE AS SAFE CAN BE. ALTHOUGH, I CAN'T SAY THE SAME FOR HIM OR ANY OF YOU SOON!" Twilight knew she just had to stall it.
"I've already told Princess Celestia about this, it won't be long before your time is up!" Twilight said, threateningly. The Mare Do Well laughed.
"HAHAHAHA! IF YOU THINK PRINCESS CELESTIA SCARES ME, THEN YOU ARE DEAD WRONG! CELESTIA HAD BEEN DEALT WITH, YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THAT!" The Mare Do Well said. Twilight was horrified.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HER!? Where is she!?" Twilight yelled, her hooves shaking.
"SAFE...UNLIKE YOUR LITTLE CADENCE HERE. POOR, POOR CADENCE...SO INNOCENT, SO ROYAL. IT REALLY IS A SHAME TO SEE YOU GO." Cadence was not looking as the Mare Do Well paced around her.
"...I do not care what you do to me, but let my husband and the Princess live. That is all I ask." Cadence said.
"Don't talk like that! We can get through this!" Twilight shouted.
The Mare Do Well whispered into Cadence's ear, however, it was too quiet for Twilight to make out. "DON'T WORRY, PRINCESS. I'LL MAKE SURE YOU ALL GET WHAT'S COMING TO YOU, ANYTHING FOR TWILIGHT!"
"NO!!!" Cadence yelled."YOU CAN'T!!"
"TWILIGHT!!" The Mare Do Well yelled as Twilight watched on in horror. "SO SORRY IT HAD TO END THIS WAY!" The Mare Do Well once again used it's magic and drove it's knife straight towards Cadence. "GOODBYE, PRINCESS MI AMORE CADENZA." It spoke.
Before the knife could plunge into Cadence's heart, Twilight shot a blast of energy at the Mare Do Well, hoping for a miracle. It flew him away from Cadence and made the knife fall to the ground. As the Mare Do Well got up, it picked up the knife again.
"TWILIGHT SPARKLE, YOU NEVER FAIL TO AMAZE ME! I CAN'T WAIT TO LOOK DOWN ON YOUR CORPSE!" The Mare Do Well yelled as it turned the knife away from Cadence and began to send it straight towards Twilight's heart.
However, before the knife hit her, Twilight yelled as there was no running from this one. "LUNA!" She yelled. "Why are you doing this? What have we done to you?" The knife had stopped.
"H-HA-HAHA-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! OH, TWILIGHT. AS IF YOU WOULD THINK I WAS PRINCESS LUNA OF ALL PONIES! I THOUGHT YOU WERE SMARTER THAN THIS, I THOUGHT YOU WOULD HAVE FIGURED IT OUT BY NOW. HAVE YOU?" Twilight was confused. She still had no idea who this killer was.
"Then tell me who you are. Who is the pony beneath this costume?" Twilight asked. If she had to die, she wanted to know by who's hoof.
"AND TO THINK I THOUGHT YOU KNEW. I GIVE YOU WAY TOO MUCH CREDIT, TWILIGHT...OR SHOULD I SAY, TWILY?" At that moment, it all clicked inside of Twilight's mind. She knew.
"Please tell me it's not you." Twilight said, tears beginning to stream down her face.
"BINGO, TWILIGHT." The Mare Do Well said as it began to remove the costume that had plagued them for so long.
"Hello, Twilight." Said the Mare Do Well who had now removed the costume to reveal his true identity.
"S-S-Shining Armour!? This has got to be some sort of joke!" Twilight cried. She didn't want to believe this, any of it.
"This is NOT A JOKE! I have had my fun with this little game, Twilight, and now this is the last straw!" Shining yelled. He was serious and Twilight knew it.
"Anything but this....please" Twilight cried, painfully.
"HOW DARE YOU DO THIS!?" Screamed Rarity, walking up to Shining. "YOU MURDERED RAINBOW AND THEN YOU MURDERED MY SISTER...I WILL KILL YOU!!!" Rarity started, ready to attack Shining.
"Not this time." As Shining said this, he took out his knife and began to stab Rarity several times and shoved her to the floor as she bled out on the ground.
"NOOO! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS!!" Twilight screamed.
Shining Armour walked up to Twilight as he stared right at her. "You know what's funny, Twilight?...I actually cared about you once before, as a sister...and a friend. And do you know what happened?"
"What-what happened?" Twilight said, quietly.
"YOU HAPPENED! YOU BECAME A PRINCESS AND NOW YOU'RE THE TRUE STAR OF THIS FAMILY! I AM NOTHING!" Shining yelled.
"You have Cadence, you are married to a princess. You have the Crystal Empire! How can you be so jealous as to do something like this!?" Twilight asked, staring right back at him with tears in her eyes.
"Because....I want more. I want power, I want to take everything from you so that you understand." Shining backed away.
As Shining was getting ready to take his move, Cadence had escaped from her ropes. She began to rush at Shining in order to end this.
"Before that, however..." As Cadence rushed towards Shining, Shining Armour turned around with his knife in hand and before Cadence could attack Shining Armour stabbed her once, watching the light of love fade from her eyes and proceeded to slice her throat.
"That is what happens when you mess with my plans. It's a shame really, I actually loved her. Oh well.....the ends justifies the means." Shining's words had sent a chill down everypony. Everypony was in tears, losing it after what just happened.
"Now, who to kill next?...Who does Twilight care for the most here?...How about you, Starlight Glimmer?" Shining began to walk towards her ready to attack.
"NO!" Starlight yelled as she shot a blast of energy that knocked Shining back across the room.
"Maybe you haven't learned yet...MAGIC WON'T HELP YOU!" Shining yelled. "Not when there's a traitor in the room." Everypony looked confused.
"What are you talking about, Shining armour!?" Twilight yelled, confused.
"Oh, you don't know, Twilight? YOU HAVEN'T FIGURED IT OUT YET? Maybe you can tell her yourself.....Applejack." Everypony began to look at Applejack.
"W-What?" Twilight said, speechless.
Applejack looked at Twilight. "Huh, ha ha ha ha ha HA HA HA HA HA HA HOO BOY! IT FEELS SO GOOD TO LET IT ALL OUT, RIGHT SHINING ARMOUR?" Applejack walked towards Shining and stood by him.
"Not you too, Applejack!" Twilight said, shocked seeing her friend like this.
"Oh yes, Applejack has been through with the plan through thick and thin. It's been a pleasure working with her." Shining Armour said.
"I know, and all it took was the idea that I could be something better than a simple farm pony! I could be you, Twilight! And you never even realised what was right in front of you!" Applejack taunted as Twilight still couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"Why? Why would you do something like this, Applejack?" Twilight asked.
"It's really simple. Shining asked me if I would help him with a little project. I was obviously not going to help him at first but the offer to be something more was too great...and here we are." Applejack explained.
"So...the reason you were able to send those letters..." Twilight said.
"Yes." Shining said, quickly. "My magic is a lot more powerful than you ever thought, Twilight!"
"Why?..." Fluttershy walked forward. "Why, Applejack? How could you just leave us like this? You had Rainbow murdered and just stood there as Rarity was killed by that...that...BRUTE!" Shining walked forward.
"Here's the thing...I want Twilight. No-one else has to die, Fluttershy. So, just step back and let me do what I need to do." Shining Armour said.
Fluttershy thought about it for a moment. ".....no." She said, with a menacing look in her face.
Pinkie Pie also walked forward. "She's right! If you want to get to Twilight, you're going to have to get past us!"
Starlight followed. "They're not wrong, Shining Armour!"
Shining Armour just stared at them before bursting out into laughter. "HA HA HA! Oh, you really think friendship is enough to stop me! Not when half of your friends are gone!"
Twilight walked forward. "Shining Armour, you don't have to do this. We could end this right now, and you can still have a second chance!" Twilight had tears in her eyes. She hoped he could come to his senses.
"Oh, Twilight...If only I could see it that way." Shining Armour said as he dived to plunge the knife into Twilight. Twilight was horrified as she came to the realisation that there was no saving her brother.
"NOOO!" Yelled Starlight, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, their faces stricken with terror.
Just before the knife reached Twilight, a shot of light hit Shining. "AHHH!" Shining yelled as he fell to the floor, failing to kill Twilight.
As everypony looked up from the blast and as Shining Armour began to recover, Twilight recognised the figure. "Celestia?"
"I came as fast as I could, Twilight? Are you okay!?" She looked over at Shining Armour. "It's OVER, Shining Armour! No more games, enough damage has been done."
Shining stood up. "No...no, I'm not done. I'M NOT DONE!!" Shining dashed up to Twilight, knife in hand, ready for the kill before Celestia managed to pull him back.
"NO!!!" Shining Armour yelled. It was over.
"Shining, this isn't how you said it would go!" Applejack yelled. She felt cheated.
"Oh please, I only needed you because I needed someone close to Twilight to execute my plan. Obviously, it didn't go so well." Shining told Applejack. Applejack backed away.
"You're saying this was all a lie! You really do deserve what's coming to you." Applejack said, angrily.
Celestia looked at Applejack. "Actually Applejack, you helped Shining Armour with all of this. You are as much to blame as him. You will also be punished for this. Now guards, take them away!"
The guards proceeded to remove Shining and Applejack from the room. Applejack was hesitant, but after learning it was pointless, left without a word. Celestia walked up to Twilight.
"Twilight, are you okay?" Celestia asked.
Twilight looked up, finding it hard to breathe under all of her tears. "NO! Most of my friends are dead, my BROTHER tried to kill me and one of my friends helped him!....What do I do now?"
Celestia looked at her. "Twilight, you are the Princess Of Friendship. You may have lost your friends, but that doesn't mean you can't move on. It will be hard, but you still Pinkie Pie...and Fluttershy.....and Starlight Glimmer."
"I guess you're right." Twilight said. Twilight walked with Celestia to the window and looked out over the Crystal Empire. "What is going to happen to my brother and Applejack?"
"They will be questioned thoroughly on every detail. We need to know everything that happened here, from start to finish. After that...we don't know." Celestia said, concerned.
"Celestia...I just have one question. Why did Shining Armour want me dead? What did I do to him that caused all of this. He told me it was because I became something special and he didn't but I just keep feeling that it's something more." Twilight said. It had kept running through her mind ever since Shining Armour had said it.
"YOU BECAME A PRINCESS AND NOW YOU'RE THE TRUE STAR OF THIS FAMILY! I AM NOTHING! " Shining had said. What does that mean? Was he really jealous? Is that seriously the reason he tried to murder her and her friends?
"I do not know." Celestia said, suddenly. "But it doesn't matter now. He's gone, it's over."
"I suppose so." Twilight said, as she looked back at her friends. She had lost a lot over the past few days. Hopefully, everything could return back to the way it was soon...at least, as much as it could be.
